Tag Archives: india

Another year’s come and gone – a year that was packed with events ranging from the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee to the London Olympics to the US Presidential election. The aftershocks of the economic crisis continued to rock the world economies and the world was to have ended this year.

While being a silent spectator to the atrocities that one fellow human inflicts on another, this beautiful planet that we call Home sent out very clear signals to us, by way of storms and super storms, that we will have to bear the consequences of our bad and reckless stewardship of her.

As the curtains come down on 2012, I thought I’d showcase some of our most highly rated* images from the past 12 months. Hope you enjoy these images as much as I enjoyed making them:

January 2012:

February 2012:

March 2012:

April 2012:

May 2012:

June 2012:

Look out for Part 2 tomorrow…

Till then, take care and gallop free.

* – All the images in this post were showcased on our Facebook Page as part of our ‘Picture of the Day’ feature and were highly rated by the most important and valued viewer of all – You.

I happened to be in Bangalore (India) around the time when AERO India, a biennial air show and aviation exhibition, was held at the Yelahanka Air Force Station. The air show offered a great opportunity to see the might of the fighter jets on the one hand and the grace of the aerobatics teams on the other. One such aerobatics team that performed at AERO India 2011 was the Sarang.

Sarang, which means Peacock (hence the peacock design on the sides of the chopper), is the helicopter formation display team of the Indian Air Force. Formed in 2003, the team flies four Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Dhruv helicopters. The Dhruv is a utility helicopter that meets both military and civil operator requirements. The military variant performs the roles of transport, utility, reconnaissance and MedEvac. The name Sarang is symbolic in itself as the peacock is the national bird of India.

This was the first time I had witnessed a helicopter formation display team in action and I must admit I was pretty amazed at some of the maneuvers. As you view the images below, I hope you will be amazed too 🙂

The Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary (ರಂಗನತಿಟ್ಟು ಪಕ್ಷಿಧಾಮ) is located in the Mandya District of the South Indian state of Karnataka. It is a small sanctuary consisting of six islets on the banks of the Cauvery River.

The sanctuary is home to myriad species of birds – both native as well as migratory. The most common birds found here are the painted storks, open billed storks, spoon bills, white ibises and herons. One also sees river terns, kites, egrets, cormorants and pelicans. Keep your eyes wide open and you just might see a kingfisher or two as well!!!

Oh!! Did I forget to mention: In case you do visit this sanctuary and plan on cooling off by taking a swim in the river – think again. Close to 70 crocodiles call this section of the river ‘home’!!! Hence it’s not uncommon to see a croc sunbathing on a rock outcrop or swimming silently past you as you take a boat ride on the river.

The nearest city to the sanctuary is Mysore and the nearest town is Srirangapatna. One can get to the sanctuary from Bangalore as well but though the drive is comfortable, it can take a couple of hours to cover the 130km distance.

Lal Bagh (ಲಾಲ್ ಬಾಗ್) Botanical Gardens is a tourist attraction in Bangalore, the capital of the Southern State of Karnataka, India. Termed as the pendant in the necklace of Bangalore’s gardens, Lal Bagh literally translated into English means ‘The Red Garden’ and the garden is famous for its Glass House that hosts two annual flower shows to coincide with India’s Republic Day (26th January) and Independence Day (15th August). Lal Bagh has secured its place among the gardens of the world and has come to be regarded as one of the best gardens in the East.

I visited the Gardens during the Republic Day Flower Show this year and I hope that the images showcased here as well as those contained in the album (link attached below) will offer the reader a glimpse of the visual feast of vibrantly coloured flowers that were on display.

The main attraction of the Flower Show was the replica of the Kempe Gowda Tower (Kempe Gowda being the founder of the city of Bangalore) which was fabricated completely out of red, yellow and white roses (close to 50,000 in all!!!). The garden surrounds the real tower and visitors can see the tower as they enter the Gardens.

To view all the images from the Flower Show, kindly click the link below:

Pookalam, a colourful and intricate arrangement of petals and leaves laid on the floor, is a ritual that is part of the celebrations associated with the festival of Onam in Kerala, India. The word ‘Pookalam’ is comprised of two Malayalam words – ‘Poo’ which means flower and ‘kalam’ which means drawing or artwork.

I had the unique opportunity to see these intricate and elaborate designs being created. From transposing the design drawing from paper to the ground where the pookalam will take shape to transforming a heap of myriad coloured petals and leaves into a colourful feast for the eyes, the process is laborious for those involved and awe – inspiring for the spectator. Spatial awareness, a steady and artistic hand and a keen sense of colour are all necessary attributes for those involved in creating a pookalam. Pookalam competitions are also held where teams showcase their creativity and designs can get really complex!!

Showcased here are three images of what these floral pieces of art look like when created:

To see images of these and similar masterpieces taking shape, kindly click the link below: